The University of Hawaiʻi at M膩noa helped inspire hundreds of keiki and community members at the 24th annual on October 19. Hosted by the (HSGC) in partnership with 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 and Hawaiian Electric, the free STEM event engaged attendees with hands-on activities and workshops highlighting space exploration, Earth science, biology, oceanography, rocketry, robotics and coding.

鈥淭his event is all about inspiring Hawaiʻi鈥檚 students to dream big鈥攋ust like Lacy did,鈥� said Adria Fung, event coordinator and robotics education specialist with HSGC in the (SOEST). 鈥淗e grew up right here in Honolulu, had a huge dream, and quite literally chased the stars. We want our students to see that even if their dreams feel far away, they can reach them by staying curious and never being afraid to explore. Lacy Veach Day celebrates discovery and the spirit of lifelong learning.鈥�

Robots, fossils, rockets and more

This year featured 36 hands-on activities and displays led by more than 30 organizations including student groups from 东精影业, community organizations and industry professionals. They featured hands-on learning in the fields of robotics, fossils, marine biology, rocketry, Hawaiian voyaging, cube satellites, architecture, pilot simulation, microscopes and more. Workshops offered opportunities to learn about indoor drones, robotics, telescopes, hybrid cars and meteorites.

鈥淭his was Aiea Intermediate School robotics team’s first Lacy Veach Day and the students had a real blast,鈥� said Pete Miller, robotics coach at Aiea Intermediate School. 鈥淲e brought several robots for the public to play around with in the robotics arena, getting coaching from our team members as needed, plus my students were able to visit the other exhibits鈥搕he most popular were the planetarium, the drone display and several of the 东精影业 engineering and science exhibits.鈥�

Partnerships propel the event

Veach Day provides a unique opportunity for pre-service teachers to learn from other organizations about how they bring STEM to life, and build connections that might one day show up in their own classrooms.

鈥淰olunteering at Lacy Veach Day was a valuable and rewarding experience for pre-service teachers in our teacher preparation program,鈥� said Stacy George, faculty member at 东精影业 M膩noa College of Education. 鈥淚t provided my students with a rare opportunity to engage in community outreach, network with science organizations, interact with families, and even develop their own interest in science.鈥�

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In early 2025, the provided more than 1,000 students across the state with an opportunity to showcase their technical skills and a chance to advance to the World Championships in Dallas, Texas. The championships are managed by the (HSGC) in the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 (HIGP) and supported by funding through .

A total of 111 teams competed in the VEX V5 Robotics Competition and the VEX IQ Robotics Competition Regional Championships, representing public and private schools on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island and in Maui County, as well as club organizations and home teams.

VEX Robotics is an educational robotics program that inspires students to excel in STEM principles while encouraging creativity, teamwork, leadership and problem solving among groups.

“Robotics competitions foster these skills and prepare students to become future innovators and global problem-solvers, as well as increase their interest in pursuing STEM careers,” said Adria Fung, HSGC robotics education specialist.

VEX V5 Robotics Competition Championships

The VEX V5 Robotics Competition Championships featured high school and middle school teams at the Hawaiʻi Army National Guard in Kapolei on January 25 and 26. This year鈥檚 challenge, High Stakes, was a fast-paced game that pits alliances of two teams against another alliance, and requires robots to score rings on stakes, place mobile goals and climb at the end of the match. Robots have a period of autonomous play followed by driver-controlled play.

Advancing to the World Championships were N膩n膩kuli High and Intermediate, Mililani Mechs Robotics, Waialua High and Intermediate and Wai膩kea Intermediate.

VEX IQ Robotics Competition Championships

The VEX IQ Robotics Competition Championships featured elementary and middle school teams at Pearl City High School on February 15 and 16. This year鈥檚 challenge, Rapid Relay, was a teamwork challenge game that required two teams to pass balls between robots, score balls through targets and clear switches. A new student role to this year鈥檚 game, the loader, gives students an opportunity to introduce balls directly onto the field, allowing for human-robot interaction.

Advancing to the World Championships were M膩noa Elementary School, Haleiwa Elementary School, Island Robotics and St. Louis School.

Due to double qualifications by teams in both competitions, the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation will select additional Hawaiʻi teams to advance to the national competition.

About Hawaiʻi Space Grant Consortium

HSGC offers remote and in-person training sessions and workshops for coaches, teachers and students, a robotics curriculum for STEM/robotics classes, and mentors teachers and students in robotics programs. HSGC and HIGP work to inspire and prepare students to enter STEM degree pathways and careers to promote public understanding of NASA鈥檚 goals and missions. HSGC and HIGP are housed in 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 .

A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa student group was as one of 10 small research satellite developers to launch their satellite into space as early as 2025 through NASA鈥檚 . This is the second project led by students in the (EPET) certificate program to be granted an opportunity to take their satellite project to the deployment phase. The first student-built satellite was selected in April 2023.

“The two groups of EPET students securing opportunities to launch their satellite with NASA highlights both the science and design strengths of the student research groups, and the quality of the EPET program enabling students to invent, design, and build spacecraft with exciting science and educational outcomes,” said Peter Englert, professor in the (HIGP) and EPET course coordinator.

Started in 2020 by HIGP and the in the (SOEST), the EPET certificate program is open to undergraduate students majoring in the physical sciences, such as chemistry, earth sciences, physics or astrophysics, and disciplines. The program has empowered undergraduates through hands-on, student-driven development of science payloads and building of small satellites, called CubeSats, that can be launched into low Earth orbit.

“Our team is very excited to have this opportunity and grateful for all the help we have had to make it to this point,” said Sapphira Akins, CubeSat Relativistic Electron and Proton Energy Separator (CREPES) project manager and graduate student in mechanical engineering and aerospace. “We can’t wait to have something we built operating in space within the next few years!”

The CREPES mission is a student-led project that began at 东精影业 Mānoa in 2022 and aims to study solar energetic particle events and increase knowledge of the Sun. When they launch their satellite with NASA, CREPES will fly a new type of micropattern gaseous detector to amplify the signals of solar radiation. Data obtained from these measurements is expected to contribute to the understanding of space weather and development of space climatology.

“The student research success is an outcome of the high quality of the EPET curriculum, student engagement with the research topics they have chosen, and the resources provided by HIGP, the SOEST dean鈥檚 office, Hawaiʻi Space Grant Consortium, the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program of 东精影业 Mānoa, and private donor support,” said Englert.

A satellite designed and built by a team of more than 60 students and faculty from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 21. The Hyperspectral Thermal Imager (HyTI) satellite launched aboard the SpaceX commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS), deployment from the ISS is expected in May. The mission is expected to last one year.

“It is so special that I was able to watch my first live rocket launch with something I helped make on board,” said Chiara Ferrari-Wong, a 东精影业 graduate research assistant who traveled to Florida to watch the launch. “The launch represented a culmination of our team鈥檚 hard work and efforts over the past few years, and will remain one of my core memories of my time at 东精影业 Mānoa. I am incredibly fortunate to have worked with the team and had the opportunity to see the spacecraft go from concept to reality.”

东精影业 satellite to study volcanic activity, more

The project’s focus is to gather valuable data for understanding Earth’s surface processes, including volcanic activity, wildfires and soil-moisture levels. Led by Principal Investigator Robert Wright, director of the (HIGP), the project began in October 2018, with funding from NASA‘s In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies Program.

“We have a couple of volcanoes here within the state which regularly erupt,” said Wright. “And the kind of data that HyTI will collect will be useful to study the eruptions that happen in the future within the state of Hawaiʻi.”

Related story: Students, staff and faculty head to NASA launch of UH satellite, February 2024

The HyTI satellite, officially owned by NASA and operated by the , was selected in 2019 as part of NASA‘s CubeSat Launch Initiative, under the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites program. Equipped with onboard data processing capabilities, the satellite will deliver high-resolution thermal images, surpassing the capabilities of current sensors. These images will enable scientists and disaster response managers to analyze and respond to environmental events with precision and speed.

东精影业 students, staff and faculty have been actively involved in the development of the HyTI satellite, including six faculty members, 15 staff, eight graduate students, two post-docs, 30 undergraduate students and six high school interns.

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa undergraduate students who have been developing a satellite to launch into space in 2024 earned a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to Conseil Europ茅en pour la Recherche Nucl茅aire () In Switzerland for its RD51 Detector School November 27–December 1.

The RD51 Detector School is an intensive one week lecture and laboratory course. The school is primarily for PhD students, making it an incredible accomplishment to have three UH Mānoa undergraduate students accepted.

“This is an extraordinary success for the undergraduate students, and for the (EPET) program, which has enabled all of this through its student-centered approach to high-quality undergraduate research and through its support to assist students being successful in their learning and research efforts,” said Peter Englert, a professor in the (HIGP).

HIGP developed the EPET certificate to provide undergraduate students with an opportunity to design research projects and build payloads for Earth, Moon and Sun observing satellites with the goal of producing, launching and operating their satellites.

Current EPET students Sapphira Akins, Howin Ma and Chris Freitas applied to participate in the RD51 Detector School. Akins and Ma were accepted for in-person participation in Switzerland, and Freitas was accepted for participation in the online part of the school. All three students are part of the CubeSat Relativistic Electron and Proton Energy Separator (CREPES) project.

“I feel very grateful to be able to study in a community such as the one at CERN!” said Akins. “Programs like these help me to push myself academically. I hope to gain a deeper understanding of micro patterned gaseous detectors, and ways in which we can implement them in space.”

“I believe that the insights and experiences I gain from being a part of such a prestigious institution will serve as a powerful source of motivation, inspiring me to set and achieve even higher standards for myself,” said Ma. “I also love traveling, and experiencing other cultures so I鈥檓 excited for my time in Switzerland.”

Mentorship from a leading expert

In spring 2023, to learn more about gas electron multiplier (GEM) detectors and their potential application to space research, EPET turned to Fabio Sauli of CERN. Sauli is the world’s leading expert on GEM and micro-pattern gaseous detectors. Sauli provided four Zoom lectures to the CREPES group with extensive discussion sessions, which provided the background knowledge in advancing the CREPES project.

The RD51 Detector School will provide Akins and Ma with additional skills that are important in the final design and assembly of the CREPES flight detector, which will be built in 2024. The learning modules of the school include gas detector physics and technologies, GEM foil manufacturing techniques, detector read out techniques, modeling and simulations. Akins and Ma will bring back advanced knowledge to help contribute to the success of the CREPES mission plan.

“In particular, we are working on a project here at UH that is attempting to put a gas electron multiplier in space, a detector that doesn鈥檛 appear to have any flight heritage,” said Akins. “Being able to receive valuable hands-on experience with this detector, and many similar, will be significant when it comes to understanding how to properly integrate it into a satellite.”

In November, the CREPES group will prepare a proposal to the CubeSat Launch Initiative to obtain support for the launch of their GEM detector mission into space at the end of 2024 or early 2025. Writing such a proposal is a significant task for a student research group.

supported the CERN opportunity through providing travel resources for the student鈥檚 participation. Students have been supported by internships, internships and conference travel grants.

Undergraduate students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa have the opportunity to get involved in space exploration and research through academic programs and internships offered through the (HIGP).

Three students who are currently enrolled in the have explored research opportunities through internships with HIGP and (HSGC) and have contributed to space exploration through fields such as physics and engineering.

Student experiences

Stephan Devis, a junior pursuing a bachelor of science in physics, works on the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard NASA‘s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. The Mars 2020 project is in collaboration with Sarah Fagents, a volcanologist at HIGP and a co-investigator on the Mastcam-Z instrument.

“It was thrilling to be so involved in the delta campaign of one of the most momentous missions of our lifetime,” said Devis.

The experience Devis is gaining on the tactical operations team for Mars 2020 is applicable to the operations of any future mission.

“One of my career goals is to become a planetary scientist and to contribute to the future of space exploration and to a crewed mission to Mars,” said Devis. “The research opportunities I have found here at 东精影业 Mānoa are directly in line with these goals and are equipping me with skills that will put me in a better position to achieve them.”

Matthew Paulino, a junior in mechanical engineering with an aerospace concentration, is an HSGC intern where he has been able to apply mechanical engineering concepts to understand the process of creating a scientific instrument.

These opportunities provided Paulino with an understanding of what it takes to create scientific instruments, from management level of understanding to engineering applications.

“EPET is a unique opportunity for me because it gives me experience from the perspective of not only an engineer but also the perspective of scientists,” said Paulino. “In other words, scientists commission the engineer to create a scientific instrument and the engineer needs to understand what is needed from the scientist.”

Katlynn Vicuña is a senior in mechanical engineering with an aerospace concentration. As an HSGC intern, Vicuña has gained space exploration experience through working with vertically integrated project teams on satellites and rovers, she worked on a rocket team with a space grant through the NASA First Nations Launch, and worked as an Hawaiʻi Space Flight Lab avionics assistant.

“It has been important because this has opened up my path to apply for Brooke Owens Fellowship where I was able to get an internship with Lockheed Martin Space for summer 2022,” said Vicuña. “Without these hands-on experiences, I do not think I would have been hired or chosen.”

More on EPET certification

EPET consists of four sequential courses in which undergraduate students form a team, develop a CubeSat mission concept, and then go on to design and build it as a capstone project, with advising from Peter Englert and others.

The EPET certificate program is for students enrolled in science and engineering undergraduate degree programs at 东精影业 Mānoa, 东精影业 System campuses, and other universities. The program can also accommodate professionals working in the community who wish to upgrade knowledge and skills.

The next cohort of students for the EPET certification program will begin in spring 2023. .

A team of students and faculty from the launched a 10.5-foot custom rocket they built in the 2022 Come-Back competition in Nevada. This year鈥檚 ARLISS competition hosted 15 teams, including teams from Japan, Mexico and Costa Rica. The 东精影业 team was the lone U.S. representative.

“Here in the Black Rock desert, we are the only American team representing,” said Caleb Yuen from Honolulu CC. “I think it鈥檚 important for all the students of community colleges and universities to come out here to learn the fundamentals and the basic rules of rocketry.”

is a faculty-student enterprise of multiple 东精影业 Community College campuses in affiliation with the Hawaiʻi Space Grant Consortium. Project Imua鈥檚 primary mission is to experiment with high-powered rocketry and to design and fabricate small payloads for space flight.

More Project Imua stories

The September launch, or Project Imua Mission 11, was a mixed success. The rocket flew and one of two parachutes deployed properly. The rocket contained a land rover designed and assembled by that did not exit the rocket and maneuver autonomously as planned. An atmospheric detector designed and assembled by collected data during the rocket flight that will be analyzed by the team.

“That鈥檚 rocket science,” said Project Imua Manager Joe Ciotti, a Windward CC professor. “But like the recent Artemis setbacks, each failure is taken as an opportunity to learn and improve for the next flight.”

Seven members of the Project Imua Mission 11 team also launched individual rockets they built in a event to earn various National Association of Rocketry certifications.

“Both Honolulu Community College and Windward Community College have a lot of funding and programs that students can get into. They don鈥檛 need to be in STEM-related careers,” said Honolulu CC team member D’Elle Martin. “It鈥檚 pretty fun and it exposes you to a lot of the possibilities and research projects you can get into.”

Stay tuned for more about Project Imua Mission 12 in 2023.

—By Kelli Abe Trifonovitch

“Out of this world” is one way to describe the incredible video captured by a University of Hawaiʻi Community College experiment nearly 100 miles above Earth.

On August 11, a 44-foot NASA sounding rocket blasted off from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia carrying a scientific experiment designed by Project Imua Mission 10 students into space.

Project Imua is a joint faculty-student enterprise of multiple 东精影业 Community College campuses in affiliation with the that provides students with real-world, project-based learning opportunities. students designed and built a camphor-powered sublimation rocket (named ScubeR, for Super Simple Sublimation Rocket) that was deployed at the peak of the NASA rocket鈥檚 flight—at 99 miles altitude. The team designed two cameras and measurement devices to monitor the sublimation rocket鈥檚 motion.

Project manager Joe Ciotti, a Windward CC professor, calls the video captured by that Project Imua camera in space “visually spectacular.”

Ciotti continued, “The opening shows the limb of the Earth against the blackness of space and clouds covering the Atlantic. It then pans to show the second stage (of the sounding rocket) that separated moments ago, spinning as it falls back to Earth. Nearby is the outer protective skirt, tumbling after being dropped from the payload section. 鈥�(later), ScubeR begins to be deployed in the straight direction it was designed to follow.”

Project leader and Windward CC student Jared Estrada said, “Working the math and sticking with the science and engineering process we believe we have something that works and ultimately leads to success within the mission. I think it鈥檚 very successful.”

It鈥檚 been an amazing experience for the aspiring research and development physicist and the 15-member team.

Estrada said, “I would say Mission 10 is an excellent opportunity for students and overall awe inspiring for the scientific and engineering process.”

For Caleb Yuen, the Honolulu CC student responsible for developing the video cameras, the views of space were breathtaking.

Next up, Project Imua Mission 11. The team plans to launch a custom-built rocket equipped with a land rover and atmospheric detector at the ARLISS 2022 Come-Back competition in Nevada in September.

—By Kelli Abe Trifonovitch

Mission accomplished! At 12:08 p.m. HST on August 11, 2022, a 44-foot NASA sounding rocket blasted off from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia carrying a scientific experiment designed by University of Hawaiʻi Community College students about 91 miles into space.

Project Imua is a joint faculty-student enterprise of multiple 东精影业 Community College campuses in affiliation with the that provides students with real-world, project-based learning opportunities. Students from Windward CC and Honolulu CC had been working on Project Imua Mission 10 for months and were delighted to see their “baby” finally take flight.

students designed and built a camphor-powered sublimation rocket that was deployed at the peak of the NASA rocket鈥檚 flight鈥攁t approximately 91 miles altitude. The team designed a camera system and inertial measurement unit devices to monitor the sublimation rocket鈥檚 motion.

Project leader Jared Estrada, a Windward CC student, said, “The launch was an amazing spectacle that served as a crowning achievement for the scientific endeavors of Project Imua.”

Project Imua provided hands-on rocketry experience both in Hawaiʻi and at NASA. In June, two students traveled to the Wallops facility to run final tests on their Project Imua payload.

• Related 东精影业 News story: Payload for space launch tested at NASA facility, June 26, 2022

A few days prior to the launch, the rest of the Project Imua team was in Virginia for fine tuning and final integration.

“The hands-on, authentic research conducted by our 东精影业 Community College students challenges them to set their sights on lofty goals, while building the demanding skills required in high-tech, STEM careers,” said Project Manager Joe Ciotti, a Windward CC professor. “They鈥檝e learned through their intense year-long collaboration with NASA engineers that, when it comes to dreams and achievements, the sky鈥檚 the limit.”

More Project Imua stories

After reaching its peak, the payload carrying the experiments descended by parachute and landed in the Atlantic Ocean, off the Virginia coast. Plans were for the students to receive their flown experiments and any stored data after the payload was recovered from the ocean.

More Project Imua missions are scheduled to fly for 东精影业鈥檚 future rocket scientists.

—By Kelli Abe Trifonovitch

Editors note, August 10: NASA postponed the August 10 launch until August 11, due to bad weather at Wallops Flight Facility.

Editors note, August 9: NASA postponed the August 9 launch until August 10, when payload recovery conditions are projected to be more favorable.

A team from the has spent the past week at NASA鈥檚 Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia preparing for a rocket to launch the scientific experiment they designed and built into space. Launch is scheduled for August 9, between 5:30–9 p.m. EDT (11:30 a.m.–3 p.m. HST), with live coverage on the .

is a faculty-student enterprise of multiple 东精影业 Community College campuses in affiliation with the that provides students with real-world, project-based learning opportunities. This includes experimenting with high-power rocketry, and designing and fabricating small payloads for space flight. In the Hawaiian language, imua means to move forward.

The students have been collaborating for months. students designed and built a camphor-powered sublimation rocket that should be deployed at the peak of the NASA rocket鈥檚 flight—at approximately 91 miles altitude. The team designed a camera system and inertial measurement unit devices to monitor the sublimation rocket鈥檚 motion.

Their experiment is one of six developed by college and university teams across the nation that will launch on a 44-foot-tall Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket. After reaching its peak, the payload carrying the experiments will descend by parachute and is expected to land in the Atlantic Ocean, about 64 miles off the Virginia coast. The students will receive their flown experiments and any stored data after the payload is recovered from the ocean.

“I鈥檓 looking forward to launch because of all the hard work we鈥檝e put into this project to really make sure it succeeds,” said Honolulu CC student Frank Bolanos IV. “There鈥檚 a lot of work that went into it and a lot of time and waiting and excitement. So to see it actually go up is going to be incredible.”

The experiments are being flown through the in conjunction with the Colorado Space Grant Consortium. RockSat-X gives students at post-secondary institutions the experience of building experiments for space flight.

“RockSat-X provides students an opportunity to improve their skills through experiment development and then analyzing their data following the launch,” said Giovanni Rosanova, chief of the Sounding Rockets Program Office at Wallops. “Programs like these are vital in preparing students for careers after graduation.”

Mission 10 represents the fourth time that a 东精影业 Project Imua payload will be launched into outer space. The first Project Imua payload was launched from Wallops in 2015.

includes a list of other participating institutions and descriptions of the students鈥� spaceflight technology projects.

—By Kelli Abe Trifonovitch